'Today Translations' Provides Linguistic Help for Expecting Parents

Haven’t you always felt sorry for the John Johnsons of the world? How about the Gaylords, Butches, and Fannys? You’d think naming your kid something nice would be a no-brainer, but apparently not. Now a service called Today Translations is helping soon-to-be parents choose the right baby name (so they don’t name their kid after a place, like Manchester).

With Today Translations, expecting parents can take advantage of the company’s linguistic experience and answer the classic question once posed by Shakespeare’s Juliet, "What’s in a name?" According to Springwise, Today Translations helps them check the meaning of a potential baby name in 100 other languages to avoid future embarrassment.

For instance, Today Translations points out that Suri, the name of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’s daughter, means ‘pickpocket’ in Japanese, ‘turned sour’ in French, and ‘horse mackerels’ in Italian. Who knew?